The Armed Citizen May 2009

Police believe an armed intruder may have used a sliding glass door to enter the home of Heath Miller, a popular middle school music teacher. Millers dogs began barking, waking Miller and his wife. Miller retrieved his .38-caliber pistol and readied himself as the masked intruder approached the bedroom door. It is unclear who fired the first shot. When the exchange of gunfire ended, the intruder lay dead. The Millers were not injured. (Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla., 02/16/09)
RICHARD CREED HAD just finished helping a customer at his insurance agency when two men burst in wearing masks and carrying pistols. Police say the intruders forced Creed to an office in the rear of the store, which, unbeknownst to them, was where he stored a revolver. Creed kept his cool as they neared his gun. "It was none of the flashy lights," he explained. "It was, 'If you're gonna live, this is what you gotta do,' and you think about it real fast. It was pretty clear-headed." Creed grabbed his revolver and shot one of the men several times, causing both assailants to run. Police apprehended the suspects and discovered that their pistols were realistic toys. (The Saginaw News, Saginaw, Mich., 01/23/09)
ACCORDING TO ponce, a homeowner pulled into his driveway and watched in astonishment as a burglar carried items out of his back door. He confronted the burglar, who drew a knife and sliced the homeowner's arm. During the ensuing wrestling match, the homeowner tossed the burglar into the pool for a February swim. He retrieved a rifle before the burglar could exit the water and ordered him to stand in the middle of the pool until police arrived. (The State, Columbia, s.c, 02/21/09)
THE RESIDENTS OF an apartment complex say their typically safe neighborhood had fallen victim to a rash of break-ins. Crime reached its zenith when someone broke into an apartment occupied by a woman and her children. The woman retreated to her bedroom with the children, locked the door and armed herself with a handgun. According to police, when the suspect approached the bedroom door, the woman fired a single shot. The suspect was found outside the complex suffering from a gunshot wound. He was placed under armed guard at the hospital. (Tyler Morning Telegraph, Tyler, Texas, 02/03/09)
TURKEY FARMER BRYAN Tew was driving his tractor down the road for refueling when he noticed a strange car, its trunk open, parked in his garage. Parking his tractor in front of the car, he reached into his pickup for a .22-caliber rifle. Police

say that's when a man kicked open Tews back door and stepped outside with his arms full of electronics and money. "You ever see those cartoons where their eyes get as big as saucers? That's what he looked like," Tew said. "I yelled at him and when he saw that gun, he sat the stuff down ... and ran back into the house." The suspect slipped on the linoleum inside the home and Tew held him at gunpoint for police. "A friend of mine said your body only produces a teaspoon of adrenaline in a lifetime," Tew said. "Well, I think I used my whole teaspoon." Police are investigating the suspect's involvement in several other break-ins. (The Daily Record, Dunn,
N.C., 02/13/09)
WHILE WAITING FOR her school bus, a 9-year-old girl was attacked by a rabid coyote. The coyote bit her legs and badly injured her toe before 16-year-old David Miller and his grandfather could respond with a .22-caliber pistol. Miller bravely kicked the coyote, allowing the girl to run away, then he pinned the animal to the ground so his grandfather could shoot it behind the shoulder. The wounded coyote slipped Miller's grasp, charged the grandfather and bit down on the barrel of the pistol. Millers grandfather fired a volley of shots, killing the coyote. Miller has been honored with letters of recognition for his bravery from the governor of South Carolina and the state House of Representatives. (The Herald-Journal, Spartanburg, s.c, 02/14/09)
AUTHORITIES SAY THREE men with little regard for stealth broke into the home of John Easby-Smith. Hearing a ruckus downstairs, Easby-Smith grabbed his .45-caliber handgun from a bedside table and went to investigate. Encountering the burglars, he fired several shots, hitting one of the men and causing the trio to flee the home. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, Ark., 01/23/09)

If you have a firsthand "Armed Citizen" experience, call NRA-ILA PR/Communications at (703) 267-1193. Studies indicate that firearms are used over 2 million times a year for personal protection, and that the presence of a firearm, without a shot being fired, prevents crime in many instances. Shooting usually can be justified only where crime constitutes an immediate, imminent threat to life, limb, or, in some cases, property. Anyone is free to quote or reproduce these accounts. Send clippings to: "The Armed Citizen," 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400.
24 AMERICA'S 1" FREEDOM | May 2009